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THE SHEPHERD OR POLICE DOG 










































































































































Painting by Enno Meyer 


HEAD OF A SHEPHERD. 


\% 


s 






























































































































THE SHEPHERD OR 
POLICE DOG 


BY 

ENNO MEYER 


Illustrated 


1924 

Sportsman’s Digest Publishing Co. 
Cincinnati 




Copyright, 1924 

Sportsman’s Digest Publishing Co. 


OCT 13 *24 


©Cl A 8073 4 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


CHAPTER I. 

The Origin, Early History and Geneology of the Shepherd 17 


CHAPTER II. 

Early History of the Breed and Its Introduction to America 24 


CHAPTER III. 

The Standard and Description of the Points..^.. 31 


CHAPTER IV. 

A Comparison of the American Bred Dogs and the 
Standard . 44 


CHAPTER V. 
Breeding and Rearing. 


50 


CHAPTER VI. 

Rearing of Puppies. 59 


CHAPTER VII. 

Training and Care. 66 


CHAPTER VIII. 


Notes on the Care of the Shepherd 


79 











DEDICATION, 
the Pioneers of the 



VJ< breed in America , 
whose fine sportsmanship 
and earnest endeavor estab¬ 
lished the breed in America , 
this book is dedicated. 





Introduction 

'T'HE interest that was aroused in the Shepherd 
upon his advent in America was prompted pri¬ 
marily by his attractive exterior, his alert and en¬ 
gaging manner and the many visible proofs of his 
intelligence. As the acquaintance and understand¬ 
ing of this intelligence grew among the early 
fanciers of the breed, there came with it the desire to 
know more of his antecedents and the mental de¬ 
velopment that has given the breed its high station 
as a working dog, and they found that the entire 
history of this breed, from its early forbears to its 
most recent development was one in which utility 
was the keynote. Through the importations and 
business affiliations with experienced German fan¬ 
ciers, their efforts to encourage the breed in this 
respect were followed to a certain extent in America, 
not perhaps with the thorough understanding and 
patience of the German fanciers, but as well as they 
knew. At least, the early foundation was laid for 
this work with the very first entry of the breed, 
and great credit is due to those who inaugurated 
it here, many of whom are still its sponsors and are 
today developing this very important function of 
the breed. That it will grow and expand to its 
proper complement, there is no doubt, for the value 
of this training is still superficially understood by 
the general public in America. It has, to some 
extent, been grasped by the energetic moving picture 
men in this country, who have capitalized this ability 
with no mean .success, so that the working and earn- 


ing capacity of some of these Shepherds have placed 
them on a footing with their human confreres as 
“Stars.” The owner of a single dog who keeps him 
solely as a companion may feel that this intensive 
training is unnecessary, and so it is to a certain 
extent, for a highly trained dog is sometimes too 
professional and eager to be a companion, but a 
course of protective training gives the dog his work¬ 
ing value and makes him a greater asset to his 
master. Again, this preliminary training has often 
been the discoverer of some unusual mentality that 
called for a further exploitation of these talents, and 
so many of the highly finished police, war and herd¬ 
ing dogs have been developed. One can readily see 
that all these efforts to bring the individual to such 
a high mental development must necessarily leave its 
impress' upon the psychology of the breed and this 
favorable impress is evidenced by his great popu¬ 
larity. There is a general impression that the breed 
is of a taciturn and morose disposition, unwilling 
to forget his dignity at any time and have a jovial 
romp with his master. This erroneous belief finds 
its foundation generally in the imperfect conception 
of the dog's character. Shepherds as a rule are 
one-man clogs, and the elements that make up the 
reticence that the Shepherd shows to friendly ad¬ 
vances are, first, the general training as a guard 
dog that makes him naturally suspicious of strangers 
and, in the second place, the quiet dignity that is 
the result of generations of schooling and that makes 
him loath to part with at the instigation of the 
stranger. To his master, however, he reveals his 
true feelings, and I have found all the Shepherds 
that I ever owned to be intensely affectionate, de- 


voted, and anxious to please. I have found them 
eager students of my own moods, and if at any time 
I suggested romp and play, I was met with an in¬ 
stant response. As ready as they may be for play, 
they are on the instant as ready for their duty, an 
inherent sense that is ever uppermost in their minds. 
In this they differ from many other breeds who 
change from one state of mind to another with a 
much greater reluctance. There may be occasional 
instances of vicious individuals, just as they are 
found in other breeds, and very often in man, too, 
but they are rare. Then one finds shy individuals 
that are about as useless as the other extreme.; these 
are usually the results of too intensive breeding and 
should be avoided, both as companions or as breed¬ 
ing animals. 

The many new owners of this great breed are 
asking for a general and elemental information and 
to supply this in a condensed form is the purpose of 
this book. Nor is it the purpose to compare itself 
in any way with the wonderful work of Ritt- 
meister von Stephanitz, whose years of research and 
study have made him supreme in this field, but if 
this book inspires the desire for a more thorough 
interest and a greater love for the breed, then its 
conception will be amply repaid. 




% 



CHAPTER I 


The Origin , Early History and Geneology 
of the Shepherd 

'T'HE existing conditions in the world during the 
introduction of this interesting breed to 
America were responsible for considerable confusion 
in regard to its proper breed name. Known origin¬ 
ally in Germany as Der Deutche Shaeferhund, the 
correct literal translation of The German Shepherd 
Dog was accepted in America as the proper name 
among the fanciers of the breed. The American 
Kennel Club, however, translated the Shepherd into 
the Sheepdog, due, perhaps, to the fact that herding 
dogs were generally known as Sheepdogs in the 
old English classifications. Previous to the World 
War, the name was also correctly translated in 
France, where he was known as the Chien de Berger 
Allemand, and the breeders of France registered 
their kennel names and their dogs in the German 
Studbook, where they will be found today. During 
the war the French changed the name to Chien de 
Berger Alsace, and when the breed was taken up 
in England this name was, in part, accepted there, 
and the dog was known as the Alsatian Wolfdog, 
and this of all the dog’s collective nomenclature is 
the most erroneous. In America the name was also 
changed during the war to Shepherd Dog, and this 
again is most misleading, for the German Shepherd 


(17) 


18 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


is only one of the many kinds of Shepherd dogs 
that are found throughout the world. 

The English name of Alsatian Wolf Dog leads 
us to the second great error usually accepted by the 
layman, namely, the wolf origin of the breed. Aside 
from the fact that the wolf is the common ancestor 
of all dogs, he had nothing whatever to do with the 
establishment of the latter-day Shepherd. It is pos¬ 
sible that, along the Russian border, in parts of 
Hungary, in the Balkans, and possibly in the earlier 
days in the Pyrenees, crosses were effected with 
wolves upon the Shepherd dogs, but these had no 
bearing up the establishment of the breed, for dogs 
of this breeding were not typical and were never 
used. All the latter-day experiments that I know 
personally between Shepherd dogs and tame wolves 
were dismal failures. 

While the wolf is undoubtedly the progenitor of 
the dog, and we find remains of the forms of true 
wolves in the early stone age, there have been no 
discoveries of the true dog until the upper Pliocene 
period, where, with the first discoveries of the Homo 
Sapiens, or speaking human beings, we also find the 
first indications of the true dog. 

The most important find in this direction was 
made in the beginning of this century on the estate 
of Count Poutiatin, near Moscow, and is known 
as Canis Poutiatini. The skull formation of this 
early dog shows a decided resemblance to the skulls 
of our latter-day Shepherds and deviates consider- 


Origin, Early History and Gcneology 19 

ably from the typical wolf skull. It has not been 
determined whether this early form was at this time 
already the companion of man or whether he was 
merely a highly developed feral form; at any rate, 
this was the first known transitory form from the 
wolf. After this form there followed a number of 
intermediary forms, together with infiltrations of 
small wolf and jackal-like feral forms until the 
bronze period, when we find a very distinct and 
well-established type, in the Canis familiaris matris 
optimae Jeitelles, named after his discoverer, Dr. 
Jeitelles, of Vienna, and generally known as the 
Bronze Dog. The skull formation of this dog 
stamps him as the probable progenitor of all Shep¬ 
herd dogs and a very careful consideration of the 
anatomical details of the specimens of the Bronze 
Dog in existence may permit us to believe that the 
Shepherd of today is very similar in appearance, at 
least this is the opinion of Jeitelles, Naumann, Studer 
and other scientists who have made a life study of 
the prehistoric history of the Canidae. According 
to Buffon, we see in the Shepherd the original form 
of the dog and he maintains that all the breeds today 
are descended from this form, the variations being 
due entirely to climatic conditions and selective 
breeding. This type or form has gone through the 
ages with a remarkable continuity; one finds au¬ 
thentic data of its existence in ancient Egypt. 

It was found among the early Romans, for Co¬ 
lumella gives an accurate description of both herd¬ 
ing and guard dogs of wolf-like type. The dog in 


20 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


old Germany, of which authentic data exists, was 
the Hovawart, and the data concerning this dog can 
he traced to the Fourteenth Century, from that time 
to the present there is enough existing material, even 
to rather good illustrations, to prove that the Shep¬ 
herd of today is the lineal descendant of these ancient 
dogs. While there is a great variability in the skulls 
of all the wild Canidae, the anatomical correlations 
in all these skulls, from the very earliest prehistoric 
type to the modern Shepherd, exist in such perfec¬ 
tion that there is very little doubt as to the fixed 
basic type. The Shepherd dogs of the world are a 
big family, dividing itself into many separate breeds. 

To name the principal ones: We have in Eng¬ 
land the collie and the Old English Sheepdog and a 
dwarf form known as the Shetland Sheepdog; in 
Russia a similar form, the Owtchar; Poland has an 
intermediary form that can not be considered a fixed 
breed, but Hungary had a distinct type in the Kom- 
ondor; Rumania has a dog known as the Istrian 
Shepherd, a dog of heavy conformation and rather 
pendulous ears; then there is a Transcaucasian form 
that breeds true to type; in Switzerland we find two 
distinct types, the Sennenhund and the Bernerhund, 
both heavy powerful dogs, used principally with 
the cattle, and the Appenzeller, a smaller and lighter 
type : Belgium has several types, a smooth and a 
rough-coated dog similar to the German Shepherd, 
another of a like conformation but carrying a flat 
setter-like coat of jet black hair; another wire-haired 
type known as the Bouvrier des Flanders. The dis- 


Origin, Early History and Geneology 21 

tinctive type of the French Shepherd is the Chien de 
Beauce, a handsome large Dane-like form. In Aus¬ 
tralia we find a pronounced form in the Kelpie, a 
very highly developed working strain. Here in 
America we have an original type that is found 
throughout Mexico and as far south as Peru. The 
Shepherd dogs of Germany are the heavy Rottweiler, 
a cattle driver; the old German Sheepdog that is 
almost synonymous with the Old English type, and 
the German Shepherd Dog who has in the last few 
years leaped into a well-deserved popularity. All 
these dogs are true Shepherds so far as their work is 
concerned, and even though they may be dissimilar 
in type they are nevertheless a related family. 

The German Shepherd is primarily a shepherd 
dog. His ancestors were performing these duties 
hundreds of years ago and, while his superior in¬ 
telligence makes him a dog that is particularly well 
suited for police work, for Red Cross duties and 
also as a wardog, the German Shepherd is still used 
principally in Germany as a shepherd dog. Many 
of our late importations have the HGH (Herde 
Gebrauchs Hund) affix, showing that they have 
passed a rigid test in herding work. At the same 
time the strains that are used entirely by the shep¬ 
herds for their working qualities furnish a very 
virile influx into the closely bred show type and 
thereby contributing greatly to the stamina of the 
breed. 

The first systematic effort to improve the dog was 
made by the shepherds of the preceding century, the 


22 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


first consideration being, of course, their value as a 
working dog, and much depended upon the district 
in which he was used and the work that he was re¬ 
quired to perform, either as a quick lithe dog to he 
used for sheep or a more powerful animal for the 
herding of cattle. Climatic conditions also played 
an important role in his development and finally, 
since he was the constant companion of his master, 
a certain pride was felt in his good appearance and 
this was probably the first stimulus toward the de¬ 
velopment of the handsome dog we know today. 

The first concrete effort to establish a specialty 
club for the development of the breed was made in 
1891, when the club known as the Phylax was 
formed by the admirers of the breed. However, 
since the entire effort of this club seemed to be the 
furthering of outward appearances and the produc¬ 
tion of a certain type, with a consequent loss of his 
intelligence and working ability, this club made very 
meager advancement, especially since those that were 
vitally interested in the dog kept him first for his 
working qualities and therefore the year 1894 
marked the passing of the club. 

In 1899 a group of real fanciers and breeders or¬ 
ganized the Verein fuer Deutsche Schaeferhunde, 
known to the fanciers today as the S. V. and estab¬ 
lished a stud book that stands today as a model of its 
kind. 

At this time a number of shepherds in Thuringia 
had established large kennels and were breeding- 


Origin, Early History and Geneology 


23 


consistently. The Thuringian dogs were large, 
usually of the wolf coloring with the prick ears 
and were consequently much sought for by those 
who bred for show purposes. The dogs of Wurtem- 
berg, on the other hand, often carried a soft ear, but 
they had the advantage of perfect tail carriage, while 
the Thuringians were inclined to ring tails. They 
had further a fine shepherd conformation with a 
wealth of bone, too much so in some instances and 
these heavy-boned dogs were sluggish and lacked 
style, which the Thuringians had in abundance, but 
the combination of the two strains, with the elimi¬ 
nation of the faults of each of them, brought forth 
the ideal shepherd. 


CHAPTER II 


Early History of the Breed and Its 
Introduction to America 

'T'HE early kennels that were responsible for the 
-*• establishment of the present type were the ken¬ 
nels of Sparwasser in Frankfort, Wachsmuth in 
Hanau and Eiselin in Heidesheim. In the Sparwas¬ 
ser Kennel was produced the sire that is the founda¬ 
tion of the modern Shepherd, not only of the show 
strain, but also of the working type. This dog was 
Horand von Grafrath and every high-class produc¬ 
ing Shepherd is a lineal descendant of this great dog. 
We may talk of the Beowulf, the Starkenburg, the 
Horst von Boll, Kriminalpolizei and Riedekenburg 
strains, but they are really all subdivisions of the 
blood of Horand. Horand was, like all great sires 
that suddenly appear in the beginnings of almost all 
breeds, a dog that was far ahead of his time. For¬ 
tunately, he came early into the possession of Capt. 
von Stephanitz, the grand old man of the breed in 
Germany, whose wonderful research work among 
the Canidae has fitted him to produce a most mar¬ 
velous work on the dog, and it was most fortunate 
for the fanciers of the Shepherd that his wonderful 
knowledge and guiding hand piloted the destinies 
of this breed. How very fitting it was that the dog 
Horand should be in the hands of this great fancier. 
The next sire of importance, to the breed was Beo- 
wolf, who claimed Horand as his grandsire on both 


( 24 ) 


Early History of the Breed 


25 


sides, while his granddams were both of the Wuer- 
temberg working strain. This shows that the 
breeders were carefully using a strong and intelligent 
outcross with their line breeding to typy dogs. Beo- 
wolf transmitted his own individuality to such an 
extent that his progeny is called the Beowolf strain; 
his good qualities were more apparent, however, 
on the female rather than the male side of his line. 

The next dog in the list of important sires was 
Dewet Barbarossa, whose line traces back on one 
side to Horand and on the other to Luchs von Spar- 
wasser, a little brother of Horand, and here again we 
also find in his pedigree a judicious mixture of work¬ 
ing blood. A striking proof of the potency of this 
blood is shown in the mating of Dewet to his daugh¬ 
ter, the 1902 and 1903 Champion, Hella von Men- 
ningen. The result was Siegfried vom Jena Para- 
dies who was the working Champion of 1906 as a 
War Dog, Police Dog and Red Cross Dog. 

Following in importance in the list of sires was 
Graf Eberhard von Hohen-Esp, perhaps the most 
intense of the latter-day Horand dogs, having Ho¬ 
rand as his grandsire on both sides of his dam’s 
breeding and four times as great grandsire on his 
sire’s side. He also proved a splendid nick 011 the 
Wuertemberg utility strain. 

It will be noticed that none of these sires had ac¬ 
quired championships, as the success of most of them 
was indifferent in the show ring. By this time, how¬ 
ever, the breed was becoming strongly intrenched in 
type, and from this period the producing dogs were 
all more or less of the pronounced show type. Graf 


26 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

Eberharcl produced the 1908 Champion, Luchs von 
Karlsmunt Wetzlar, who in turn produced the 1910 
Austrian Champion, Wotan vom Emstal, and the 
1910 German Champions, Flora von der Kriminal- 
polizei and Tell von der Kriminalpolizei, and the 
latter in turn produced the 1911 Champion, Hella 
von der Kriminalpolizei. 

Another Champion who will go down into history 
as the producer of Champions in Shepherd history 
is the I9 o 6-’7 Champion, Roland von Starkenburg, 
the sire of the 1907 Champion bitch, Hulda vom 
Siegestor; the 1908 Champion bitch. Flora von der 
Warte, and the 1909 Champion, Hettel Uckermark. 
Roland traces back on the sire’s side to a strong 
representation of Horand blood and on the dam’s 
side we find a strong line breeding to Pollux, the sire 
of Horand. Roland is found today in the modern 
pedigrees as one of the most influential sires. The 
sires of today substantiate the prepotency of the 
Horand blood. 

To pick at random, there is Nores von der Krim¬ 
inalpolizei, strong in von Boll blood, which is a 
continuation of the intensely bred Horand dog, Graf 
Eberhard von EIohen-Esp. 

Another sire of the present day, Alex von West- 
falenheim, the grandsire of the 1922 Champion dog 
and bitch of Germany, is sired by Hettel Uckermark, 
a very prepotent son of Roland, and goes back on the 
dam’s side to Gunter Uckermark, a litter brother of 
Hettel. 

While the history of the breed in America is 
encompassed in a comparatively short period, it has 


Early History of the Breed 


27 


made wonderful strides, in spite of the constant 
predictions by fanciers of other breeds that the breed 
had a fictitious impetus for popularity and that this 
was gradually waning, it has on the contrary risen 
to a popularity undreamed of, even by its earliest 
supporters. The reason for this is nothing more 
or less than the dog’s super-intelligence and his 
working qualities, and at that, this particular sphere 
of the dog’s usefulness has barely been touched in 
America, and when this phase is taken up seriously, 
it will even do more to enhance his popularity than 
his very evident handsome appearance and his great 
intelligence have done for him. The first Shepherds 
were brought to America by Otto Gross in 1906 and 
but little attention was paid to them at that time, 
Mr. Gross, who is today the premier authority on the 
breed in America, persisted in his efforts to intro¬ 
duce the breed, and with the assistance of a fine and 
enthusiastic group of fanciers the foundation was 
finally laid that established the breed in America. 
The first breeder of Shepherds in America was Mr. 
Chas. Schott of Milwaukee, whose Wotan Kennels 
helped the early establishment of many others. He 
was quickly followed by groups in various parts of 
America; in the East were Mrs. Halstead Yates of 
the Oak Ridge Kennels, who owned the famous 
Ch. Alarich von Alpenluft, on whom I had the 
honor to bestow the special for best dog in the 
show, the first time this special had been awarded to 
a Shepherd; Mr. F. Emken, who owned Ch. Herta 
von Ehrengrund; Wm. Neuhoff of the Harrington 
Park Kennels; Miss Anne Tracy, who has not only 


28 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


bred many good ones, but has helped the breed with 
her clever translations and journalistic work; Mr. 
De Winter of the Winterview Kennels; Mr. Bruno 
Hoffman and Mr. Henri Baer, who owned one of 
the first trained bitches in Hilda von Triebel; Mr. 
Sheridan S. Norton, who owned Ch. Max; Mr. and 
Mrs. Paul Huhn and their Wally Wally Kennels 
were active breeders, as was Mrs. Abbie Rubino, 
who also went into trained dogs. Mr. L. Wie- 
lich was one of the early sponsors for the breed and 
a fine judge. Mrs. T. O’Donnell Hillen was a con¬ 
sistent breeder, and Mrs. Leo F. Wanner was a 
very thorough exponent of the breed. Mr. F. 
Spiekerman and Mr. G. Sabo were constant breed¬ 
ers and were also good judges, both on the bench 
and in the trials. Mr. Ely Buell had the Seneca 
Farms Kennel and Mr. Reginald M. Cleveland’s 
well-known Rexden Kennels were always in evi¬ 
dence. Mr. John Cans was very early a force in 
the Shepherd world, for he gathered a fine collection 
of Champions and made excellent importations. Mr. 
Cans not only imported the best, but also made a 
number of American-Bred Champions. His kennels 
were under the management of Robert McCallum, 
who afterward acquired the South Bay Kennels of 
Mr. B. R. Ruggles, who helped materially in the 
early establishment of the breed. Mr. McCallum 
later went in for importations and brought many 
new dogs to this country. Mr. Anton Rost was 
and still is one of the early sponsors of the breed. 

Coming westward to Pennsylvania, there was at 
Scranton the fine establishment of Mr. Benj. Throop, 


Early History of the Breed 


20 


known as the Elmview Kennels, and the home of Int. 
Ch. Apollo von Hunenstein. These kennels were 
under the management of the expert, Otto Gross, 
and with his thorough knowledge of dogs and espe¬ 
cially the Shepherd, these kennels soon occupied the 
foremost position. At Johnstown the Black Lick 
Kennels of Mr. Luke Swank were sending out ex¬ 
cellent stock and at Butler Mr. J. S. Campbell held 
forth with his Auldane Kennels. In Ohio Mr. Al¬ 
fred Flesh established the Swift Run Kennels, pro¬ 
ducing excellent stock and helping to establish the 
American-Bred, and at Cincinnati Mr. Harry G. 
Meyer founded his Beech-Knoll Kennels, with dogs 
strong in Starkenburg blood. Illinois had a number 
of early fanciers. In Chicago Mr. Joseph Morris’ 
Analostan Kennels were the home of the Holland 
Ch. Roland von Wupperstrand, and in Peoria Mr. 
Arnold Rieder helped to popularize the breed. Other 
prominent supporters of the breed in Chicago were 
Capt. Bernard Baer of the Chicago Police Depart¬ 
ment, Mrs. Clara B. Jelke and Dr. Frank R. Weston. 
In Detroit Mr. Frank P. Book maintained a fine 
kennel and took an active interest in the breed. At 
St. Joseph, Missouri, Mr. Huston Wyeth kept an 
excellent kennel and produced good American-breds. 

At Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. John Buck maintained 
a large kennel headed by Sport von Greifberg, and 
Mr. Phil Geil of the same city was also an enthu¬ 
siastic beginner. 

Going to the extreme West, we found in Cali¬ 
fornia two important exponents of the breed, Mr. 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


30 


Win. Matern, with his Maternhof Kennels, and Mrs. 
Alvin Untermeyer, whose Greystone Kennels have 
been the home of scores of splendid dogs. While 
we are speaking of these fanciers as the early foun¬ 
ders of the breed it must not be in the sense of very 
remote history, for all of them, with few exceptions, 
are breeding today on as large, if not on a greater 
scale. Today this list of splendid fanciers has been 
augmented by scores of new kennels and breeders 
who are enthusiastic supporters of the breed, and 
their number is such legion that one could not at¬ 
tempt to enumerate them. 


CHAPTER III 


The Standard and Description of the Points 



HE Shepherd is a dog of alert appearance, he 


immediately conveys the impression of a useful 
working dog, his anatomical construction and his 
temperament suggest a working force, there is no 
exaggeration at any point of his make-up; his char¬ 
acter portrays no softness, no frivolity and no fool¬ 
ish tendency at any time, neither does it harbor any 
meanness nor treachery, and while he holds himself 
aloof from the stranger, there is no dog more faith¬ 
ful or more anxious to please his master. His mas¬ 
ter is his idol and for him he has the deepest love 
and devotion. It is, in fact, so centered upon the 
master that he cares little about any other human 
being, and while he may apparently be friendly 
toward others, one can see that it is merely a po¬ 
liteness instead of an attempt at friendship. And 
yet, in spite of the loyalty and affection that is so 
deeply entrenched, he does not at any time display 
it with any exuberance; there is always present a 
reserve that gives the breed a certain dignity that 
makes for it an admiration and respect. 

The standard of the Shepherd Dog describes the 
dog as follows: I. General Appearance and di¬ 
vides this into (a) Structure and (b) Character¬ 
istics. Taking the structure first, “The Shepherd 
dog is a dog above the middle size. He is long, 
strong and well muscled, full of life and at attention 
nothing escapes his sharp senses. 

The average height for dogs is 60 centimeters 


( 31 ) 
















Explanations of Drawings 
on Opposite Page 


FIG. 1 . The ideal contour of the Shepherd showing the 
alert poise of the head, the good angle of the shoulder, 
straight front limbs with sloping pasterns, with good feet, 
the body with its proper length, deep chest and strong loin, 
hindquarters with the correct angulation and a correctly 
carried tail. 

FIG. 2. Not a very faulty form, but one that just misses 
the standard type, a little too tall for his length, a bit too 
light in bone, that is hidden by his coat, which is too profuse, 
head somewhat weak in substance, shoulders too straight, 
pasterns too straight, rear angulation in hindquarters not 
decided enough, hocks too straight. 

FIG. 3. A poor type, one whose breeding would show 
an indiscriminate mixture of out-crosses, the whole dog 
showing a lack of Shepherd character, plain expressionless 
head, heavy shoulders, too low on the leg and too long in 
body, lack of depth in brisket, long slack loin with a stilty 
croup that weakens the entire quarters, tail too short and 
carried too gaily. 

FIG. 4. Another poor type, one that is the result of 
overzealous in-breeding, head too long and too large with 
ears too large and consequently of a faulty carriage, this type 
of head is usually very much overshot, neck too short, 
shoulders too straight, legs too long with weak short pasterns 
and splay feet, no depth of brisket, body too short and 
usually too flat in rib, loin too short, hindquarters stilty with 
no angulation and a badly formed tail. 

FIG. 5. A type that is a reversion to its early ancestry, 
resembling in its entire contour the allied northern forms 
like the Spitz, the Samoyede, the Eskimo, Norwegian bear 
dog, and the Chow. 







34 


77ze Shepherd or Police Dog 


(24 inches) and for bitches between 55 and 58 cen¬ 
timeters (22 to 23 inches). This height is estab¬ 
lished by taking a perpendicular line from the top 
of the shoulder blade to the ground, with the coat 
parted and so pushed down that the measurement 
will show only the actual height of the frame or 
structure of the dog. 

The most desirable height for the Shepherd dog 
as a working dog is between 55 to 64 or 65 centi¬ 
meters (22 to 26 inches). The working value of 
dogs above or below these heights is lessened. 

Note—Height above the average should not be 
considered a fault, however, provided the proportion 
of length to height is correct, and the weight of the 
bone is also in proportion and not so great as to make 
the dog clumsy or readily fatigued. In all cases the 
proportion of length to height should not be less 
than ten is to nine, preferably as ten is to eight. 

(b) Characteristics: 

The traits and special characteristics of the Shep¬ 
herd are watchfulness, loyalty, honesty and an aris¬ 
tocratic bearing, forming a combination that makes 
the Shepherd dog an ideal guard and companion. It 
is desirable to try and improve his appearance, but 
nothing must be done which in any way detracts 
from his usefulness. 

2. Head: 

The size of the head should be in proportion to 
the body, without being clumsy. It should be clean 
cut and of medium width between the ears. The 
forehead, seen from the front, only moderately 
arched, lacking or with very slight center furrow. 


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that is a natural consequence of this formation. 




;)0 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

The skull slopes in a slanting line without an abrupt 
stop, continuing into the wedge-shaped long muzzle; 
the muzzle is strong, the lips tight and dry, firmly 
fitting together ; the cheeks slightly rounded toward 
the front, but without undue prominence as seen 
from the front. The bridge of the nose is straight 
and in parallel line with an imaginary elongation of 
the line of the forehead. Jaws and teeth are very 
strong, teeth meeting in a scissors grip, but not 
overshot. (Note—The correct mouth is one in which 
the inner surfaces of the upper teeth meet and en¬ 
gage part of the outer surfaces of the lower teeth. 
This mouth gives a more powerful grip and sharp 
bite than one in which the edges of the teeth meet 
directly. If there is any space between the upper 
and lower teeth, however, when the mouth is closed, 
the dog is under or overshot, and faulty in this par¬ 
ticular. ) 

3. Ears: 

Medium in size, set high on the head, relatively 
broad at the base and pointed at the tops, opening 
toward the front and carried erect when at attention, 
though not necessarily at all times. Cropped and 
hanging ears are to be discarded. (Note—A firm 
erect carriage is desirable, especially for breeding 
animals. The ideal carriage is one in which the 
center lines of the ears, viewed from the front, are 
parallel to each other and perpendicular to the 
ground. Slight outward divergencies are permis¬ 
sible. In young dogs slight pliancy or lack of com¬ 
plete firmness is permissible. Puppies usually do not 
straighten their ears before the fourth or sixth 
month and frequently not until later.) 





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flat and splayed. 















38 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


4. Eyes: 

Medium size, almond shaped, set a little oblique 
and not protruding, color dark brown. The expres¬ 
sion should be lively, intelligent and show distrust 
of strangers. (Note—In light-colored dogs eyes of 
light color are frequently found. If they harmonize 
with the coloration of the dog they should not be 
considered a serious fault, but the dark eye is al¬ 
ways to be preferred.) 

5. Neck: 

Strong and muscular, clean cut, proportionate to 
bead and back, without loose folds of skin. (Note 
—When a dog is excited the neck is raised and the 
head carried high, otherwise the head is carried but 
little higher than the top of the shoulder.) 

6. Body: 

Chest deep, but not too wide; ribs rather flat than 
barrel shaped, with the breast bone reaching to the 
elbow ; abdomen moderately tucked up; back straight 
and very strongly developed; short coupled and long- 
legged dogs are to be discarded. The agility and 
elasticity required of the herding dog are attained 
by the proper angulation at the fore and hind quar¬ 
ters, broad, powerful loin and long, gradual sloping- 
croup. 

7. Tail: 

Bushy, reaching to the hock and often forming a 
slight hook turned to one side. At rest, the tail 
hangs in a slight curve like a sabre. When the dog 
is excited or in motion the curve is accentuated, and 
the tail is raised, but it should never be lifted beyond 
a line at right angles with the line of the back. The 





FIG. 15. Cor¬ 
rect hindquarters 
with the correct 
angulation at the 
stifle and the 
hock, the latter let 
down sufficiently 
to give the proper 
resiliency to the 
pushing power. 



FIG. 16. Incor¬ 
rect hindquarters, 
too straight in an¬ 
gulation with ab¬ 
normally weak 
hocks. The latter 
fault is very rare in 
this breed but does 
occur, and is usu¬ 
ally the result of a 
rachetic condition 
in the individual. 



"FI 



FIG. 17. Hind¬ 
quarters in which 
the angle at the 
stifle is not bad, 
but in which the 
hock is let down 
too much, making 
them cowhocked. 
Dogs with this 
fault always have 
a poor and power¬ 
less stride. 















-JO The Shepherd or Police Dog 

tail, therefore, should never be laid over the back, 
either straight or curved. Docked tails are to be dis¬ 
carded. (Note—Bobbed tails and too short tails 
appear, but dogs having this fault should be dis¬ 
carded for breeding. The end of the last vertebrae 
of the tail should reach fully to the hock when the 
tail is held against the dog’s hind leg.) 

8. Forequarters: 

The shoulders should be long and sloping, well 
muscled and set on flat against the body. The fore¬ 
arm straight viewed from all angles. The pastern 
long and combining springiness with strength. (Note 
—The angulation of the shoulder is extremely im¬ 
portant to the proper gait of the dog. The angle 
at the point of the shoulder where the shoulder blade 
joins the upper arm should be very nearly a right 
angle. The construction of the chest, as outlined 
under the heading “Body,” above, should permit 
the free play of the foreleg backward and forward. 
This is impossible with a round ribbed dog.) 

9. Hindquarters: 

The thigh broad and powerfully muscled. The 
upper thigh long and sharply angled with the long- 
stifle. The hock strong and comparatively short. 
(Note—The hindquarters of the correctly con¬ 
structed Shepherd dog presents a study in sharp 
angulations. This enables the dog to step far under 
his body with the hindleg, to take firm hold upon 
the ground and propel himself forward with a pow¬ 
erful stride. It is not sufficient that the stifle itself 
should be long; to secure the correct movement it 
must present a sharp angle with the upper thigh, as 


Standard and Description of Points 


41 


well as with the hock. Great strength of hock is 
necessary to provide the power required in the 
lifting and forward driving step. Cow hocks are a 
serious fault.) 
io. Feet: 

Round, short, compact and the toes well arched. 
Pads very hard, nails short, strong and usually dark 
in color. Dew claws frequently appear on the hind 



FIG. 18. Correctly carried tail when in repose. 

FIG. 19. The same when the dog is in actiori. 

FIG. 20. A slight curl to one side, that is permissible. 

FIG. 21. Incorrect tail, carried too gaily and curling over the back. 

FIG. 22. Incorrect tail carried with a downward droop in action. 

FIG. 23. Incorrect tail carried with too much curl in repose and 
this curl is usually-intensified in action. - . 




42 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


leg - . They are not faults in themselves, but as they 
usually cause a spread action «and sometimes injury, 
they should be removed immediately after the pup¬ 
pies are whelped. (Note—The feet of the Shepherd 
dog are an important part of his working equip¬ 
ment. The so-called cat foot or terrier foot are not 
desired. On the other hand, the thin, spread or hair 
foot are still more undesirable. The ideal foot is 
compact and extremely strong, with good gripping- 
power and plenty of depth of pad.) 

ii. Color: 

All colors are permissible, from solid black to solid 
white, including many variations of brown, grays 
and mixed wolf colorings, also brindles. White 
markings on chest and legs are allowed. The under¬ 
coat, except black dogs, is always light in color. The 
color of the puppy can be ascertained only when his 
outer coat comes in. (Note—While the permissible 
range of color is extremely wide, the white and 
very pale and washed out colors are not deemed so 
desirable, while albinos, white with red eyes, are to 
be discarded. The skin of the nose in all cases 
should be black.) 

13. Coat: 

While there are three varieties of Shepherd dogs 
recognized, namely, the smooth-coated, rough-coated 
or wire-haired and the long-coated, the first of these, 
i. e., the smooth-coated Shepherd dog is the only 
one found in any appreciable number and the only 
variety here discussed. In this .variety the outer coat 
should be as dense as possible, each single hair 
straight, harsh and lying close to the body. Slightly 
wavy outer coat is permissible. The head, includ- 


Standard and Description of Points 43 

ing the inner ear, front quarters and paws covered 
with short hair and the neck with longer and thicker 
hair. The fore and hind legs have a short feather 
extending to the pasterns and hock respectively. 
(Note—Length of coat varies. Too short a coat is 
a fault; the smooth coat which is too long collects 
dirt and indicates either a poor or absent undercoat. 
The undercoat should always be present and should 
be dense and form a real protection to the body. The 
amount of undercoat present will, of course, vary 
somewhat with the season and the proportion of his 
time which the dog spends out of doors.) 

14. Faults: 

(a) All physical defects which tend to lessen 
utility and endurance, especially a combination of 
short back and legginess. 

(b) Too clumsy or too fine a build. 

(c) Soft or sway-back. 

(d) Steep positions of the forequarter or hind- 
quarter assemblages or anything which would ad¬ 
versely affect the length or elasticity of the stride or 
running gear. 

(e) The coat too short or too soft or the under¬ 
coat lacking. 

(f) Skull too clumsy or shallow. 

(g) Muzzle too short and stumpy or too weak 
and pointed. 

(h) Mouth overshot or undershot. 

(i) Splay feet and long-coated paws. 

(j) Hanging ears. 

(k) Rolling, ring or badly carried tails. 

(l) Cropped ears or docked tails. 


CHAPTER IV 


A Comparison of the American Bred Dogs 
and the Standard 



N analysis of the Standard reveals a very 


thorough covering of the points of the perfect 
Shepherd and it is difficult to amplify it without 
causing confusion and losing sight of its salient fea¬ 
tures. A comparison of the major part of the dogs 
today with this standard is perhaps useful to the 
degree that we might strive to a nearer approach 
by an elimination of the graver general faults. The 
Standard suggests a heighth of 22 to 26 inches. 
The greater part of the best winning males today 
measure from 25 to 27 inches; in fact, there are 
more that measure over 25 inches than under. Here 
in America I would consider these large males an 
asset, for there are still a great many weedy and 
small American-breds. As the breed becomes more 
established and when the blood lines are followed 
more intelligently we can lay more stress upon the 
finish and then hold more closely to the ideal size, 
but the many weedy bitches in America demand 
large rugged sires. In the matter of character, one 
of the very apparent faults in our dogs is shyness. 
This was undoubtedly intensified in America by the 
breeding of shy individuals to those of a similar 
characteristic and sometimes both individuals had 


( 44 ) 


A Comparison of the American Bred Dogs 45 


the added disadvantage of a shy strain in their heri¬ 
tage, consequently this bad fault will be deeply 
stamped upon the progeny. We must not lose sight 
of the fact that the Shepherd’s greatest commenda¬ 
tion is his usefulness, and therefore a shy dog must 
necessarily be out of the question so far as useful¬ 
ness is concerned and should be severely penalized. 
If a bitch that is shy has such great qualities that 
she is considered at all for breeding, then a sire 
should be chosen that is her perfect antithesis in this 
respect and that is descended from a long line of 
bold dogs. It is well known among the breeders that 
certain strains have an inherent shyness that may 
develop violently in certain breedings and of latter 
years they are studiously avoiding these sires. We 
should follow their precepts in America. The Ger¬ 
man system of the Koerbuch is very valuable in this 
respect and the great faults will be eventually en¬ 
tirely eliminated, but alas, through our loose sys¬ 
tem of breeding here, they have an opportunity to 
return in all their viciousness. 

The great difficulty in the head properties of our 
Shepherds is the very apparent weakness of fore¬ 
face. Perhaps we had better call it a lack of bal¬ 
ance, for when we do develop good forefaces they 
are on very strong-headed dogs, with plenty of skull. 
What we must strive for are skulls that merge into 
forefaces of power. There could be an improvement 
also in the ears of the American-breds. We seem 
to get them too broad at the base and running into 


4G 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


too much of a point and with this we usually get 
the incorrect carriage in too much outward slant. 
There is not much to criticize in the eyes and we also 
get fairly good necks. When we take the next point 
in the standard, the body, there is much to be de¬ 
sired. The bodies of the majority of our Shepherds 
could be longer and the chests could be deeper. 
There is considerable misunderstanding about the 
length of the Shepherd body, the erroneous impres¬ 
sion exists with many that length of body is length 
of loin. While the Shepherd has a large, strong 
loin, it must be proportionate to the general body 
length; the loin is very important in the Shepherd, 
since it is the fulcrum of the power as it is distributed 
between the forehand and the hindquarters, and a 
long, thin loin would mean not only a wabbly frame, 
but an absolute lack of the co-ordination that makes 
a perfect Shepherd gait. 

There could be, too, an improvement in the tails 
of our dogs; these seem to lack length and length 
is important, since the tail has a certain influence 
as a rudder in the gait; long-tailed dogs have the 
smooth, gliding gait, while those with short tails 
usually have a choppy, bobbing movement. In fore¬ 
quarters our dogs are not bad, occasionally one sees 
the stilty shoulder that is undesirable, but they 
are rare. Our greatest failing is, without a doubt, 
in our inability to produce perfect hindquarters; 
these as a rule are too straight. The fault here. I 
think, can be attributed to our early sires, many of 


A Comparison of the American Bred Dogs 47 

whom had very little angulation themselves and 
never produced it in the puppies. Since we have 
this fault, we are at least spared another serious 
fault in consequence, the cow-hock, which is rather 
rare in the American-bred, and naturally so, for 
straight hindquarters do not produce cow-hocks. 
We can congratulate ourselves, too, on feet, since 
these on the whole are good. Coats also could be 
improved; many of them are too long and profuse, 
and the good, thick undercoat with the smooth, 
closely lying and hard top coat are rather rare. 

The gait of the majority of our dogs leaves much 
to be desired, and this will not be remedied until we 
get better angulation. 

Correct conformation in the Shepherd is essential 
to a perfect gait ; the Shepherd is a trotting dog, and 
on account of his work, especially as a herding dog, 
must possess a tirelss trot. For this reason the body 
must be long, so that the rear action does not over¬ 
reach. If an imaginary line were drawn through the 
center of the tracks made by a perfect-gaited Shep¬ 
herd we would find both front and rear tracks close 
to this line. If the dog is too short he will naturally 
throw out his hind legs, so as not to interfere with 
his front action, and this would of course, be a 
strong detriment to the speed. The angulation of 
both the forehand and the hindquarters must be 
correct, so that there is no loss of power, especially 
is this so with the hindquarters, for this is the prin¬ 
cipal propelling power of the Shepherd, the angles 


48 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

offering the spring and leverage to the muscles, 
aided by a strong flexible loin and a croup that has 
the right angle also. The forequarters, while not 
furnishing the power as essentially as the hindquar¬ 
ters, must necessarily be strong, for they are the 
governors that make the speed possible; all this 
combined makes the ideal gait, the swift, tireless 
trot, with an utter lack of lost motion; the German 
trainers call it a fleeting gait. This perfect confor¬ 
mation also stands the dog in good stead for leap¬ 
ing. On account of his powerful construction in 
the hindquarters and his agile forehand the dog is 
able to clear an obstacle that seems impossible for 
his size. 

While on the subject of the perfect Shepherd, the 
show ring suggests itself and it may not be amiss to 
touch upon the showing of the dog. Many good 
dogs are taken into the ring in a listless, uninterested 
way, making his chances to win very remote. The 
judge sees the dog only for the short time that he is 
before him in the ring and must make a rapid an¬ 
alysis. A dog that has been trained to pose always 
has his good qualities showing to the best advantage, 
constantly impressing them upon the judge’s mind. 
A dog* that stands listlessly may have all his good 
angulation entirely misplaced and is often over¬ 
looked. So it is with the one who wants to do bat¬ 
tle with every other dog; it is morally impossible 
for the judge to pass upon a dog that is raging and 
twisting around in a senseless way, and the judge is 
often justified in giving him the gate for his be- 


A Comparison of the American Bred Dogs 49 

havior. It is advisable, too, to accustom your dog 
to being gaited on the leash, both in the walk and 
the trot, for most Shepherd judges insist on an exhi¬ 
bition of both gaits, and nothing so mars a dog’s 
opportunities as a foolish jerking and dragging on 
the leash. The prize ring is a most important ad¬ 
junct to the production of high-class animals, since 
the competition which it stimulates makes for more 
perfect dogs. Not alone are the ribbon winners 
benefited, but every exhibitor has the opportunity 
to compare his own with superior animals and so 
see the fauls that he must in future try to avoid. 


CHAPTER V 


Breeding and Rearing 

HE great demand for the Shepherd in America 



has induced the breeding of them in large 
quantities without due regard to proper selection 
and mating, and while this argues for a large dis¬ 
tribution and consequent growth in popularity, it 
mitigates against the production of quality, and to 
produce this in its highest form, it should be the first 
consideration and the first endeavor of every breeder. 
In time, of course, this will be brought about by 
natural conditions, for instance, a better general 
knowledge of the breed, thereby demanding better 
specimens; again through the large importations 
of good specimens and by the gradual improvement 
of American-bred dogs among the older breeders 
and exhibitors, who have been working with strains 
and individuals, and are acquiring a breeding knowl¬ 
edge that time alone can furnish. 

All pure-bred animals of high type and quality, 
especially in their outward form, are produced by 
in-breeding, and the Shepherd dog is a fine example 
of this scientific form of breeding. It must be borne 
in mind, however, that the faults must be given the 
same consideration as the extreme quality that is 
sought for. These faults will make themselves 
manifest in many and various forms; owing to the 
strong basic types of the different strains, there 
are inherent faults that are difficult to eradicate. 
Then there are the faults that are common to the 


( 50 ) 


Breeding and Rearing 


51 


individual, and again, the faults that are caused by 
the combination of certain blood lines. For in¬ 
stance, a famous sire had the reputation in Germany 
of siring puppies with abnormally short tails, and 
we all know that in a short tail is usually a badly 
carried tail. He was sold to America, and for a 
long time produced tails of the proper length, when 
suddenly a litter sired by him was born in which 
there were puppies that were almost tailless! This 
is a very good demonstration of the juncture of two 
families in which there was a strong inherent fault. 
Among the early ancestors of these families there 
were, no doubt, some strong influxes of the Old Ger¬ 
man Sheep Dog, who has a very short tail, and, like 
the Old English, is sometimes born without a tail, 
and it is known that the breeders of working dogs 
used this cross in the early days. 

The Shepherd sires as a rule are very virile in the 
production of their family character and are, per¬ 
haps more than any other breed, very prepotent in 
the reproduction of their own form and type, so it 
behooves the breeder to select a sire that does not 
possess the faults of his bitch, but rather has the 
qualities to correct them. Light boned bitches should 
be bred to dogs of substance, and heavy low bitches 
to dogs of a racier, lither type, but the chief family 
characteristics must always be kept in mind. Above 
all things, the sire must be perfectly free from all 
outstanding faults, such as an overshot or undershot 
mouth, loose or pinched shoulders, cow-hocked or 
bowed hindquarters, etc., for an undershot mouth 
has never corrected an overshot mouth, or vice versa; 


52 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

the faults are rather intensified and prove an ineradi¬ 
cable inheritance. 

It is of utmost importance to take into careful 
consideration the character and temperament of the 
sire. We must always keep uppermost in our mind 
the fact that the Shepherd is a utility dog, and as 
such has won his spurs, so it is incumbent upon every 
breeder to so carefully select his matings that there 
may be no inherent faults of character and disposi¬ 
tion stamped upon the breed, for they are very, very 
difficult to eradicate. A shy or vicious sire will 
usually produce puppies that are like him in disposi¬ 
tion, and dogs with these defects are usually stupid 
and useless for training. The same may be said 
about the brood bitch, and should both sire and dam 
be possessed of these evils, then the result is truly 
alarming and the breeder has done an incalculable 
harm by fixing a curse that the intelligent and con- 
scientioius breeder has been trying to dispel. In the 
bitch we call for a quiet, even temperament, and 
while the dash and aggressiveness of the male need 
not prevail, still there must be no sign of fear or 
nervousness. 

Without a doubt, the best results are obtained by 
a sire and dam that are alike in their general con¬ 
formation, and while this is possible in Germany, 
where there are a great many good sires to select 
from in a rather limited territory, it is difficult in 
America on account of the great distances that sep¬ 
arate the dogs. 

After the proper selection of the individual, the 
next step would be a careful consideration of the 


Breeding and Rearing 53 

blood lines, and to fix the type or to improve the 
type there must he a certain amount of in-breeding. 
The objections that some harbor to this form of 
scientific selection have been proven today as ground¬ 
less, such as loss of virility and constitutional vigor. 
The best bred animals today are in-bred. The 
general formula is to breed with a common an¬ 
cestor on both sides, for instance, a common grand- 
sire, though there can be different arrangements, 
such as a common ancestor of the sire and the grand 
dam’s sire. 

Line breeding is a distinct form of in-breeding in 
that the breeding is entirely confined on one side to a 
certain family. If the results from such a family 
have proven themselves, it is conducive of very fine 
results and a benefit to the breed, since it tends to 
establish the potency of the individuals of this line, 
a much sought for quality among the breeders. 
Should any other result, though, make itself mani¬ 
fest, it should be immediately abandoned, for it will 
fix a fault with a greater tenacity than a virtue. 

The most concentrated form of breeding is In¬ 
tense-Breeding, that is, the direct breeding of sire 
to daughter or son to his dam, and while this has 
been necessary in the establishment of the breed, it 
must not be attempted with impunity by any one, 
unless he is a breeder of many, many years of experi¬ 
ence, with not only an absolute understanding of its 
requirements, but also with a perfect knowledge of 
breeding history of both families involved, otherwise 
such a breeding can .work immeasurable harm to the 
breed. 


54 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


The sire should be two years of age before he is 
used at stud. He is then at his full maturity and 
produces stronger puppies than when used at a 
younger age, and it means for him a longer life as 
a sire. He can serve 40 to 50 bitches per year, ac¬ 
cording to his vigor. One service is as good as a 
dozen, in fact, my own careful records show that 
there are less misses with one service than with more. 
The stud fee is the payment for this service, and 
after this is completed there is no further responsi¬ 
bility upon the owner of the stud dog. Some owners 
give a return service in the event of a miss, but this 
is entirely optional with the owner. After the 
service, the proven sire has done his part; the misses 
are the fault of the bitch, and the best of them will 
miss at any time. The stud dog, however, has been 
used, whether the service is successful or not. 

The time of service selected is usually after the 
cessation of the bleeding, or about nine to twelve 
days after its beginning. This should take place at 
least four or five hours after the last meal, since 
the consequent excitement is apt to call forth vomit¬ 
ing and all disturbances of any nature should be 
avoided at this time. Unless the bitch is known to 
be of a very friendly disposition, it is advisable to 
muzzle her, for many Shepherd bitches will bite at 
the dog and a show specimen is easily ruined with a 
torn ear or other disfigurement. It is not absolutely 
necessary that the dog should hang after the service. 
As a rule it generally takes place, but there have been 
scores of instances under my own observation where 
bitches conceived without it. 



















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mm 


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Gr. Ch. Dolf von Dusternbrook, owned by P. A. B. Widener, Elkins Park, Pa. 
Ch. Arkus von Blaisenberg, owned by Harry G. Meyer, Cincinnati, O. 

Int. Ch. Gerri von Oberklamm, owned by John Cans, Staten Island, N. Y. 

Ch. Swift Run’s Elly von Rabenfels, owned by Alfred L. Flesh, Piqua, O. 
































































































56 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


A question that is argued pro and con among 
the breeders is the advisability of breeding a bitch 
at every season, the majority being against it, and 
for a long time I counted myself a member of this 
majority, though recently I have come to the con¬ 
clusion that I may have been wrong. 

Those who argue against successive breeding 
contend that it is too great a strain on the bitch, 
that it tends toward a weakening of the bitch and of 
successive litters, and that the brood life of a bitch 
is shortened and her normal existence also. The 
breeders in favor of successive breeding assert that 
Nature intends the bitch to bear when young, or she 
would not come in season. If for some reason the 
bitch does come in and is not in condition she usually 
misses and then conceives on her next heat. They 
also contend that a bitch having successive litters 
is usually in excellent health, and another very im¬ 
portant argument on their part is the fact that a 
bitch that is held over may become irregular in her 
seasons and may run a year or eighteen months 
before again coming due. 

Personally, I have found the latter to be very 
true, and one of the healthiest and most long-lived 
bitches I have ever owned had eight consecutive lit¬ 
ters, so I am beginning to put a lot of confidence 
in the testimony of the other side. I really do believe 
that the essential factor with the brood bitch is not 
so much in the matter of breeding, but the care of her 
aftei she has done hei part. She should at all times 
have the best of care, the best of food, and it is not 


Breeding and Rearing 


necessary to let the puppies drag on her for an in¬ 
terminable period. 

Before concluding this chapter it might be well 
to touch upon several questions that are persistently 
brought forth concerning the brood bitch. The 
first is the one called Telegony, Saturation and a 
host of other names. The fact that some scientists 
at one time really gave this question serious con¬ 
sideration has kept it alive to some extent among 
the fanciers, but the thorough investigation and tests 
of eminent workers has relegated the matter to a 
proper oblivion. The contention of those who up¬ 
held this theory was to the effect that the sire of a 
litter had an effect on the following litter if the 
bitch would be bred to another dog. 

Every case that has come under my own observa¬ 
tion, especially those that were mishaps and easy of 
detection, utterly disproved the theory. To quote 
one of several that were in my own possession, a 
bull terrier bitch was brought to me that had been 
served by a St. Bernard. I purchased her and she 
whelped a litter of eleven of these mongrels. Six 
months later she was bred to a bull terrier Champion 
and again whelped a litter of eleven, this time all 
white bull terriers, all of them pure-breds, of which 
at least five became blue ribbon winners and two of 
them came within a few points of their champion¬ 
ship. One can cite innumerable incidents like this 
one. Another matter that seems to have gained 
unusual credence among the fanciers is the matter of 


58 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


sex determination by breeding early or late, the 
formula as it is usually understood is that early 
breeding would result in a predominance of females, 
while a late breeding would produce a greater num¬ 
ber of males. I have observed this closely among 
my own dogs for years and the results have not 
proved the contention. I found, however, that the 
early breeding tended toward more misses, so now 
I breed mv bitches at the time that they seem most 
receptive, regardless of the time of the season, and I 
still find the same ratio in the sexes. 


CHAPTER VI 


Rearing of Puppies 



HE normal period of gestation in the bitch is 


63 days, the average time of whelping is the 
61st day. This can happen at any time, though, 
from the 59th to the 66th day. During the first 
two weeks the bitch can be fed in her normal way, 
after this it is advisable to add a greater percentage 
of meat and milk, and as she becomes heavier she 
should be fed oftener and in smaller quantities. 
Gentle walking exercise is also essential to keep her 
in good condition; the duration of this must be di¬ 
minished as she grows heavier in whelp. The con¬ 
dition of the bowels should also be carefully ob¬ 
served ; these should be kept open and occasional 
doses of American Oil administered if necessary. 
This is a mineral oil, and its action is entirely me¬ 
chanical and so does not disturb the bitch in any way. 

Two weeks before the bitch is due to whelp she 
should be placed in the quarters where she is to 
whelp, in order to accustom herself to the surround¬ 
ings, and it is advisable to construct a whelping box 
as per illustration, for this means the saving of many 
a puppy that would otherwise be smothered. With 
this box the puppies are always able to crawl out if 
the bitch should lie down on them. The double 
floor also enables a quick change to a clean, dry 
floor, and this can be done without keeping the 
hitch away from her puppies for too long a period 
and save her this anxiety. 


( 59 ) 


GO The Shepherd or Police Dog 

The bitch should be left entirely alone during her 
labors and should above all things have her whelp¬ 
ing quarters in a quiet, secluded place and should 
be disturbed by no strangers. An occasional in¬ 
spection by her master or by some one whom she 
knows well is advisable to see that everything is 
going smoothly, but as a rule most bitches whelp 
during the night and have no trouble whatever, 
though the whelping period may extend over an 
entire day. Should there be any apparent difficulty 
always call your veterinarian, but much of the seri¬ 
ous trouble is caused by too early an interference, 
instead of letting nature take its course. 

As soon as it is apparent that the bitch has fin¬ 
ished her whelping, she should be coaxed away from 
her litter and taken some distance away while the 
litter is changed to a clean bed. The double floor is 
advantageous here, for it permits a rapid change 
and so does not distress the bitch by a long absence 
from her puppies. A few hours after the bitch has 
whelped her last puppy she may be fed some warm 
milk, arrd the day following her regular feeding 
may be resumed, the food being mainly of a sloppy 
consistency, to induce the secretion of milk. During 
the suckling period all food should be abundant and 
of a rich nutritive quality, and the bitch should, dur¬ 
ing the whelping period and at all times, have ac¬ 
cess to plenty of clean, fresh water. 

Shepherds are very prolific and usually have litters 
ranging from 7 to 12 puppies. These large litters are 
not a blessing to the breed and are probably the result 
of intensive breeding, for wolves and wild dogs sel- 


Rearing of Puppies 


61 


clom have more than four to six puppies. Seven 
puppies should be the limit for a bitch and the others 
should be immediately destroyed. There is a tempta¬ 
tion to leave the puppies with the dam and appar¬ 
ently the dam seems to be amply able to take care of 
them during the first few days, but as the puppies 
begin to grow, the inability of the dam to feed such 


4 tt - 



Whelping Box. 

a large number makes itself manifest; weaklings 
begin to appear and the larger puppies, too, never 
attain the size that they should. The excess in a 
litter may be raised on a foster-mother, whose date 
of whelping should correspond as nearly as possible 
with that of the Shepherd bitch, so that the milk of 
both mothers may correspond in composition. 

There is no way of determining the choice of the 
litter at this age, in fact, such a selection can not 
be arrived at until puppies are from six to eight 
months of age, so the best advice one can offer is 
























62 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


to select the strongest ones, those that feel firm to 
the touch, and this irregardless of sex, for it is 
infinitely better to raise a strong female than a weak 
male. In substituting the puppies to the foster it is 
always best to remove her temporarily, then place 
the Shepherd puppies with the foster's offspring 
so that they acquire the scent of these. After the 
third day remove the dew claws on the hind legs if 
any are present. This is easily done with a pair of 
curved shears or with a nail clipper; care must be 
taken that the instruments have been sterilized and 
the care of the wound can be left entirely to the 
mother, and a few days should show a complete 
healing. 

During the first three weeks the care and feeding 
of the puppies can be left entirely to the mother, 
who should have an abundance of rich food three 
times a day, with plenty of good fresh water at all 
times, or, still better, plenty of good milk. At the 
third week the feeding of the puppies should begin 
with a teaspoonful of scraped beef for each puppy, 
divided into three feedings; at four weeks increase 
to four feedings daily and add milk, bread soaked in 
broth, or the patent puppy foods; at five weeks 
increase to five feedings, and continue until the 
fourth month, when the feedings can be gradually 
diminished until there are three of them. After the 
fifth week there can be added to the diet oatmeal, rice, 
vegetables of all kinds, except potatoes, which should 
at all times be eliminated from the dog’s bill of fare. 
Eggs are also very fine food and cod liver oil is 
very beneficial for the weaklings. 



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64 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


It should always be borne in mind, though, that 
puppies cannot be successfully reared without meat, 
and that meat should constitute at least a third of 
their daily ration. 

There is very little danger of overfeeding a puppy 
during the first months of his growth, but all food 
that is not consumed at once should be removed until 
the time of the next feeding. 

Clean surroundings, fresh air and, above all 
things, an abundance of exercise are the essentials 
for the development of the puppy. The greater the 
range of the puppy, the greater are his opportunities 
for a fine development. Shepherds can not be raised 
successfully in cramped kennels, no matter how 
well bred the puppy may be; he will never mature 
into a perfect specimen unless he has the proper care, 
food and environment. 

All puppies come into the world with an inborn 
desire for human companionship; this is evidenced 
by the friendly advances that the little chaps make 
as soon as they can toddle, and it behooves the 
breeder to foster this virtue and fix it firmly in his 
puppies. There is in some of the Shepherds a ten¬ 
dency toward shyness that is further developed in 
this direction if the puppies are isolated where they 
get very little communication with man; so much 
can be done to efface this tendency if the puppies 
are given constant opportunities to come in contact 
with human beings. 

The ear carriage is a feature of puppyhood that 
has caused many a novice endless anxiety. All 
puppies are born with pendulous ears. This is true 


Rearing of Puppies 


65 


not only of Shepherds, but of all breeds that carry 
erect ears, of all wild dogs and all the wolves. The 
erection of the ear may take place within six weeks 
and may take until the eighteenth month. The ear 
that does not come up is a great exception. Then 
there are occasional influences that may tend to a 
prevention, such as air injury from a bite, or some¬ 
times distemper will cause an ear infection that may 
prevent the ultimate erection, but all these occur 
very rarely. 

Analogous with the ear carriage, we find the tail 
carriage. In very small puppies we find it assuming 
all sorts of positions; it may be very erect or carried 
very low. As the puppy grows it finally begins to 
stabilize itself, and at about the eighth month it 
usually has assumed its ultimate carriage. Bad ring 
or curl tails are usually evident at a very early age. 

At birth a healthy puppy weighs about one pound, 
and before the end of the first week will weigh from 
one and one-half to two pounds; the second week 
his weight will range between two and four pounds; 
the third week between three and five and one-half 
pounds. Between the third and fourth week there is 
a slackening of the increase, due to the fact that the 
puppy teethes at this time, so the weight at this time 
will be from three and a half to seven pounds; after 
this there is usually a steady increase of one and a 
half to two and a half pounds until the eighth week. 


CHAPTER VII 


Training and Care 


HILE the word Training is usually accepted 



* * as the proper term, one is apt to infer there¬ 
from that the schooling of the Shepherd is carried 
out along the lines of the trick animal. In reality 
exactly the opposite is sought for. The Shepherd 
should at all times be a working dog and not a per¬ 
forming dog. It is true that some trainers work 
along the trick-dog lines and produce a dog with a 
few limited tricks that are quickly exhausted and the 
dog soon stands forth in his true light. It must 
always be kept in mind that this training is an edu¬ 
cation and that the dog must be induced to think 
and work on his own initiative. Much, if not all, 
depends upon the personality of the trainer and his 
real interest in the work and his confidence in the 
result that can be obtained is quickly reflected in 
his pupil. He must have, first of all, a sympathetic 
feeling for his subject, for the closer the bond be¬ 
tween the two the more eager are the efforts of both. 
Again, he must know how to differentiate between 
various individuals, for their temperament may call 
for a different treatment. 

It is obvious, of course, that the Shepherd, with 
his sensitive and highly organized nature, will not 
condone corporeal punishment or severe treatment of 
any kind and such force training would, of course, 
be productive of the opposite result, for a frightened 
or cringing dog could never master the intricacies 


(66) 


Training and Care 


67 

of Shepherd training. While an absolute firmness 
is necessary at all times, this can be accomplished 
by a patient insistence on the part of the trainer. 
This will soon be recognized by the dog and he will 
take this quiet demand for obedience in good part 
and respond without resentment, in fact, there will 
develop in the apt pupils as they progress in their 
training an intense eagerness to work and to please, 
and these are the individuals that finish into the star 
workers of the field trials. 

The Shepherd’s ability as a working dog has been 
utilized in many directions: First of all as a herding 
dog, then for police work and as a trained guard 
and protector, as a trailer of lost children, as a war 
dog in sentinel duty and as a dispatch and ammuni¬ 
tion bearer, as a sanitary or Red Cross dog in the 
finding of hidden wounded, and he has been success¬ 
fully used to the gun as a trail dog. 

The direction and method of training can only be 
treated here in a general way; to give this in detail 
would require a volume in itself, especially in the 
very thorough and concise German methods. It is 
doubtful whether we in America will ever spend 
the time to do this as completely as the Germans. 
The speed and bustle of our American life does not 
make for the calm, dogged persistence that marks 
the success of the German trainer, and the remuner¬ 
ation would not be great enough'to encourage any 
great number of professionals, and again those who 
have taken it up in a professional way with success, 
and-also the German trainers who have come to us, 
are all men with qualifications that give them better 
opportunities in other walks of life in America. 


68 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


But it is necessary that we do what training we 
can in order to keep up the breed as a working dog, 
and to further the mental development; if we can 
not produce the highly trained and efficient workers 
in the trials, we can at least train them in the 
simplier exercises and derive much personal pleasure 
from it. Dogs trained as guards and protectors have 
a value that is certainly a full compensation for the 
time spent in their schooling, and another use for 
which the dog should be generally adopted in this 
country is in the capacity of a sheep and cattle dog. 
There is no doubt that in the Shepherd, as well as 
the collies, there exists a strong hereditary instinct 
for the work connected with the care of stock and 
sheep. The countless generations of working dogs 
have left their impress upon the breed, and for this 
reason it is most amenable in this direction; there¬ 
fore an early association of the dog with sheep and 
cattle in itself works miracles in bringing out this 
latent instinct, and the greater part of the training 
of a herding dog is really self-training. The es¬ 
sential requirement of a herding dog is implicit 
obedience, and this can be done in the yard without 
the stock. He must come and go upon command 
and with an instantaneous response, for in driving 
the dog may become overzealous and stampede the 
herd or flock. Almost all dogs bark of their own 
accord when driving; if not, then it is well to teach 
him to speak by prompting him with offers of food, 
and with this preliminary lesson it will be an easy 
transition to the command when working with the 
flock. The dog at first must he worked on one side 


Training and Care 


69 


of the flock and must gradually be encouraged to go 
forward until he works around the head of the flock. 
The shepherd can then quickly change his position 
and call the dog in from the opposite side. Or the 
preliminary work may be given with two shepherds, 
always working the dog around the head and never 
the rear of the flock, and always giving him the 
command to go around or go over. After a while 
the dog begins to follow this command and it is then 
easy to utilize this in many ways in the handling 
of sheep or stock. For instance, in the case of strag¬ 
glers, these can be pointed out to him and the order 
given for him to go around, and this will work 
them back to the flock. A separate command should 
be given for the driving. This in itself is something 
that the dog will do instinctively, and it is only 
necessary to hold him in restraint with “Steady” or 
“Easy.” Another important part of the sheepdog 
is holding the flock at a given place. This is best 
done by having the dog in close proximity and set¬ 
ting the dog an example, urging him to Hold or 
Wear the sheep. After repeated lessons the dog 
becomes familiar with the command and will work 
at a greater and greater distance from the shepherd. 
It is always important never to confuse the com¬ 
mands or alter them for the familiarity of the sound 
with the work required, means a quick understand¬ 
ing and response, the dog naturally adapts himself 
to the work and the constant work with the shep¬ 
herd, and a demand on his part of a strict obedience 
soon develops a very valuable assistant. 


70 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


The training of the guard dog is merely the first 
stage of the training for police work and the per¬ 
fection that is sometimes attained in this is a reflec¬ 
tion of the perseverance, the care and the intimate 
interest of the trainer. The word trainer I have 
always thought a misnomer, I would rather call him 
an instructor, for the knowledge of a perfect police- 
dog is not a mere bag o’ tricks. 

The preliminary exercises of all trained dogs are 
known as the obedience exercises and they are the 
foundation of his future perfection. First of all 
the dog must he trained to the leash, walking with 
the trainer, his head parallel with the trainer’s left 
knee, at no time must he go forward or lag back 
of this position. This exercise may be started to a 
great advantage in a closed room or hall, the trainer 
walking with his left side toward the wall in this 
way controlling the dogs position by crowding him 
against the wall if he seeks to go forward or pulling 
him forward with short sharp jerks with the com¬ 
mand “Heel.” After several rounds of the wall are 
made the trainer makes a quick right face and 
crosses diagonally to the other wall. The exercise 
can then be repeated in the open along a fence or 
along a row of trees or palings, thus compelling the 
dog to keep his place. 

After this is thoroughly acquired the dog may be 
worked without the lead but no second exercise 
must be attempted until there is a perfect mastering 
of the preceding one. 

Without the lead the dog must still maintain his 
position at the trainer’s knee, though many trainers 


Training and Care 


71 


prefer the dog at heel, in any event the dog must 
always follow exactly the movement of the trainer 
and sudden right or left angles or reverses must be 
instantly followed by the dog. The length of train¬ 
ing for each exercise depends upon the individual 
as soon as he acquires it, one can proceed to the 
next step, but each exercise should be rehearsed at 
least once or twice daily. 

The next step is to teach the dog to sit upon com¬ 
mand. The dog is held by the leash close to the 
collar, and with the other hand is forced to a sitting- 
posture with a firm pressure over the loin, repeat¬ 
ing in the meantime the word “Sit.” Any attempt 
to change this position is .immediately frustrated and 
the dog is constantly admonished to “Sit.” After 
the dog holds this position it is well to move around 
him always warning him to “Sit” while the trainer 
moves farther away. At first it is best not to jen- 
circle the dog for it will tempt him to get up in 
order to follow your movements, but after the dog 
holds his position the trainer must walk around him 
and finally entirely out of his sight. After the dog 
has successfully done his part it is obvious, of 
course, that he should be petted and praised for it, 
and after difficult exercises should receive a slight 
reward in the shape of a tidbit. These attentions 
judiciously bestowed keep up the interest of the dog. 
After the “Sit” is mastered, the next step is the 
command to lie down. Make the dog assume the 
“Sit” position then grasp his forelegs with one hand 
pulling them forward and at the same time exert 
a downward pressure with the other hand on the 


7% The Shepherd or Police Dog 

withers of the dog until he has assumed the posi¬ 
tion, and during this procedure always repeat the 
word “Down.” The German trainers insist that the 
head must also be down between the paws, prin¬ 
cipally because this enables less difficulty in teach¬ 
ing them the exercise To Crawl. The latter is used 
more or less as a punitive measure, though it is 
problematical whether it has such a great value in 
this respect as some of the trainers assert. In teach¬ 
ing the down exercise it should be accompanied with 
a downward swing of the arm, this will be useful 
in signaling a dog to “Down” at a distance. At no 
time should the dog be permitted to rise voluntarily 
from a “Sit” or “Down” position, but should al¬ 
ways await the command of “Up” from the trainer. 
A well trained dog will hold this position for hours 
if necessary, so during the training the time must 
be gradually increased until the dog will hold it per¬ 
fectly. 

The exercise to give tongue upon command is an 
important one, most dogs will do this readily if 
tempted with meat, some, however, are reticent, but 
the exercise is so important that some means must 
be found to induce him to “Speak” upon command. 
A method of inducing this is to take the dog out 
of the kennel as if to take him for a .walk and then 
suddenly return him to the kennel and walk slowly 
away, his chagrin at being refused his walk will 
excite him and he will usually voice his displeasure, 
and as soon as he does this the trainer must utter 
the command “Speak” and then reward him by tak¬ 
ing him out. A dummy should be used for prelimi- 




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Int. Ch. Hamilton Erich von Grafenwerth, owned by Hamilton Farms, Gladstone, 
Ch. Graustein Gilda von Dornerhof, owned by Mrs. Elliott Dexter, Altadena, Cal. 
Ch. Afra von Sandhof, owned by Mrs. Elliott Dexter. 

Ch. Ajax von Luzenberg, owned by Laurence Armour, Lake Forest, Ill. 
















































































































































































74 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


nary training, this dummy is placed in some hidden 
corner, the dog is suddenly brought face to face 
with it and will usually speak of his own accord, 
if not a cord can be arranged with which the arm 
can be moved upward, and this will usually bring 
about the desired result. It is a rather curious fact 
that the dogs will bark more readily at a dummy 
than at a live person though the opposite is, of 
course, the case with a dog that has been trained. 

Another important preliminary exercise is the one 
to fetch. The usual procedure in the hands of the 
layman is to take advantage of the dog’s natural 
impulse to play and retrieve but this is entirely 
wrong for a trained dog inasmuch as the dog must 
realize that the retrieving is done upon command 
and exactly at the moment that it is required and 
that in subsequent work the dog will take hold and 
pick up things more readily upon command. The 
usual procedure is to command the dog into the 
“Sit” position, with the left hand hold the lower 
jaw and with the gloved right hand the head is pulled 
up, a pressure of the left hand will open the jaws 
and the right hand is then inserted and the command 
“Fetch” is given. The dog will, of course, make 
an effort to pull away, and this must be prevented. 
The first attempt should be of very short duration 
and the time is gradually increased until the dog 
permits the hand to stay there. Upon releasing the 
hand the dog must always do so upon command 
as “Give” or “Let Go.” Some object is then sub¬ 
stituted, a bag, an old glove, etc., and the dog must 
hold it and release it upon command. When he is 


Training and Care 


proficient in this the object is dropped upon the 
ground and the dog is encouraged to pick it up. 
This is gradually thrown farther and farther away 
until the dog retrieves it perfectly. After this the 
wooden dumb-bell is substituted. The dumb-bell is 
a small light affair that can be easily thrown and 
that on account of its shape can be easily picked up 
by the dog. Other articles are then substituted and 
these are hidden and the dog given the command 
to “Fetch, Lost.” Here, too, the distances are 
gradually increased, the articles are hidden in vari¬ 
ous places and even lightly buried. This exercise is 
of the utmost importance as can be seen in the work 
of finding lost or hidden articles and is of vital as¬ 
sistance in the preliminary work in trailing. 

- The exercise of refusing food from strangers is 
comparatively simple. The dog is tied and a stranger 
advances toward him with food, as he approaches 
the trainer urges him to “Speak.” This already 
establishes a distrust of the stranger who slowly ap¬ 
proaches and when close enough throws down some 
food, if the dog makes an attempt to pick it up the 
stranger strikes at him with a small riding whip 
frustrating every attempt on the part of the dog to 
obtain the food. The trainer in the meantime en¬ 
courages the dog to “Speak” and helps to establish 
an animosity toward the stranger. The trainer then 
takes the dog aside, praises him, and gives him a 
tidbit. 

To train the dog to attack, the aforementioned 
dummy is again used. In an obscure corner an 
assistant takes his place holding the dummy before 


7 6 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

him and armed with a stick or riding whip. The 
dog is slowly walked about on the leash and is so 
directed that he suddenly confronts the dummy and 
as a rule the dog will bark at this unusual creature 
and should be encouraged with the “Speak” com¬ 
mand. The assistant then raises the dummy’s arm 
holding the whip at the same time and strikes at 
the dog. The trainer gives the command to “Take 
him” or “On Guard” or any like command and en¬ 
courages the dog to attack. As soon as he attempts 
this the assistant retreats a few steps with the 
dummy and then stands very still. The dog is then 
taken back and praised. This is repeated in another 
place and so continued until the dog shows an in¬ 
clination to attack. After this the assistant dons 
the padded training suit and the work is continued 
without the dummy as soon as the dog attacks the 
assistant remains quiet and the dog is ordered to 
“Stop,” otherwise the dog may keep on worrying 
the man and so get out of control. The dog must 
always be under the strictest control and must know 
that as soon as there is no resistance his part is 
accomplished. As soon as the dog has grasped this 
it will be an easy step to teach him to guard the 
prisoner. He is ordered to “Sit” in front of the 
assistant, who remains perfectly still for a while and 
then suddenly turns away and the moment he does 
this the command “On Guard” is given. The mo¬ 
ment he attacks the prisoner at once becomes quiet 
and the dog is again told to “Sit.” The same gen¬ 
eral procedure is taken to train the dog to attack if 
the assistant threatens or strikes at the trainer. 


Training and Care 


77 


Trailing is taught in various ways, the one most 
generally used is carried out as follows: The dog 
is taken to a rather moist or soft ground. An as¬ 
sistant approaches with an article that is carried 
about his person continuously and that has the body 
scent of the assistant. This is thrown to the ground 
and the dog is commanded to fetch it. The assist¬ 
ant then goes back several steps and the same thing 
is done and this is repeated for some time gradually 
increasing the distance. Finally the assistant goes 
out of sight of the dog and hides, but always before 
he does so, he drops his object. The dog now has 
become familiar with the scent and instead of merely 
seeking begins to trail. When he is familiar with 
this the assistant makes a trail out of sight of the 
dog, the dog is taken to it and his nose held to it 
and he is told to “Fetch.” When he has fully 
grasped the idea to trail, the dummy is again re¬ 
sorted to, the assistant hiding with it before him and 
the dropping of the object is dispensed with. As 
the dog approaches the man or rather the dummy 
and upon catching sight of it gives tongue, he must 
be encouraged to “Speak” and is praised by the 
trainer. 

When the dog works well in this direction the 
exercise can be utilized in various ways. The train¬ 
ing suit is donned by the assistant and he again 
makes his trail, after the dog finds him and “Speaks,” 
he then tries to run away, when the dog is given 
the “On Guard” command and urged to take hold 
whereupon the assistant immediately becomes quiet, 
and in this manner the dog is beginning to trail and 


?8 


The Shepherd or Police Dog 


hold the prisoner. The finding of lost and injured 
persons is worked out in the same manner in that 
the dog is urged to “Speak” at a recumbent figure 
at the end of his trail. 

Persistance and patience must be the foundation 
of all successful training, the initiative of the trainer 
in noting the manner in which the individual dog 
takes up his work and using it to an advantage, goes 
a long way toward achieving results. The greatest 
care must be taken in preventing any deviation from 
the systematic course that has been adopted, and 
there must also be none in the use of the commands, 
for the change of a word would mean immediate 
confusion to the pupil. For those that would care 
to carry out the work of training as it is done by 
the German professional trainers we recommend the 
works of Von Stephanitz, Robert Gersbach, and 
Von Crevtz, in which the description of the train¬ 
ing is carried out in the systematic and intricate 
detail that is used by the German professionals. 


CHAPTER VIII 


Notes on the Care of the Shepherd 

Ty^THILE the shepherd is a hardy breed that has 
* * not been coddled and really requires very little 
attention, there are a few fundamental principles that 
should be adhered to for the dog’s sake. First of 
all the matter of feeding claims our attention. The 
diet of a healthy shepherd can include anything 
that a human being consumes with two exceptions, 
namely, potatoes and chicken bones, the first be¬ 
cause the digestive fluids of the dog do not seem 
to disintegrate them properly and the second be¬ 
cause its sharp points have often caused great in¬ 
testinal disturbances. A general mixed food, such 
as table scraps, is ideal for the dog; meat should, 
of course, predominate, for the dog is primarily a 
carnivorous animal and meat is his natural food. 
An occasional bone is also necessary to keep his 
teeth in good condition. The various dog cakes are 
also very good especially when moistened with 
broth. Most dogs thrive best on one meal a day and 
this should be given at night, those dogs, however, 
whose digestive tracts are easily disturbed are some¬ 
times better fed with a morning and a night meal, 
but these should then, of course, be of smaller pro¬ 
portions. Breeding animals, both stud dogs and 
brood bitches should have a very large proportion 
of meat, milk, and eggs, and all dogs should at all 
times have access to plenty of cold, fresh water. 

One of the great errors that is often committed 
by the layman is the frequent washing of the shep- 

( 79 ) 


i 


80 The Shepherd or Police Dog 

herd. This not only ruins many a good coat but 
often places the dog’s health in jeopardy. The shep¬ 
herd has a very dense undercoat and is most difficult 
to get dry and to suddenly expose a dog to a sudden 
change of temperature in this condition may result 
in very grave consequences. The nature of this 
coat and the habit of shedding it every year, de¬ 
mands some attention, but a good comb and a stiff 
brush vigorously applied will keep the dog as clean 
as a multitude of baths and best of all, the dog 
enjoys it, too! 

While taking the dog out near a water course, 
one need have no compunction about the voluntary 
entering of the dog into the water even on rather 
cold days. This is quite different than the enforced 
bath of the dog indoors, the temperature is the same 
and the dog uses violent exercise to dry and warm 
himself. Shepherds that are kept out of doors dur¬ 
ing the winter must be started in this way in the 
summer time so that they are acclimated to the cold, 
if they are then taken into the house they must re¬ 
main there, for one cannot alternately keep them 
housed and again exposed to the cold. Those that 
are kept outside must be provided with a warm 
wind tight box for their sleeping quarters. The 
other great requisite for the health of a dog is ex¬ 
ercise, no dog can thrive without it, and this is espe¬ 
cially so in the shepherd, whose qualifications as a 
working dog call for an abundance of exercise and 
we might add incidentally that while taking the dog 
out for this purpose, the master reaps a like benefit. 
If your dog becomes sick, the best advice to offer 


81 


Notes On the Care of the Shepherd 

is to call in your veterinarian. It is strange that 
many people, after paying a very good price for a 
dog and after becoming so attached to him that he 
is accounted a member of the family, will be heart¬ 
less enough to dose him in his hour of need with 
a lot of patent nostrums, knowing perhaps nothing 
of diagnosis and intensifying the poor fellow’s suf¬ 
fering with a vague and senseless dosing for some¬ 
thing that they know nothing about! It may be 
that your veterinarian can not come to you on the 
moment and you may be able to give first aid by 
an intelligent description of the symptoms over the 
telephone. I have bred dogs for thirty years, have 
studied their anatomy to help me in my work and 
have been the constant associate of my veterinarian 
friends, but never, when trouble comes to my dogs, 
do I depend upon my imperfect knowledge when 
their life is at stake, but always call in the best pro¬ 
fessional talent. When a member of your family 
is ill, your first thought is the physician, why not 
do the same thing ior your dog who would often 
give his life for you if necessary and who loves you 
as much if not more than anyone? Every owner 
should have on hand a rectal thermometer and in 
the event of illness first of all take the temperature, 
study every movement of your dog, and observe 
anything that seems unusual about him, his respir¬ 
ation, his appetite, has he a great desire for water, 
his positions and action when walking, the condition 
of his skin, the condition of the foeces, then call up 
your veterinarian and a visit or two will usually 
bring your dog back to his normal condition. 

























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